Manufacture of pneumatic tire casings



June 10, 1930. e. F. WIKLE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRE CASINGS Filed Nov. 22, 1926 Sheets-Sheet. 1

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- .MANUFACTURE OF NEUMATIC TIRE OASINGS Filed Nov. 22, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2

7 HUM/um; 5; lllllnlllllllllllllllllllli:iilliifl "Hum u uminum" I June-10,1930. .w.K-LE- MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIQ TIRE CASINGS Filed Nov. 22. 1926 SSheets-Sheet. 3

I 7 Figures 11 and Patented June 10, 1930 GEORGE F.;WIKLE, or 'MIYLWAUKEEQFWISCQNSIN, ASSIGNOB, TO THE .ZFISK RUBBER 1 COMPANY, or CHICQPEE"FALLS;iMASSACHUSETTS;'A' CORPORATION or- MASSA- l I cHUsEr'rs f MANUFACTURE or; rnEU'MATIc rmanswers" 3 I Application med novem ber'az, 1926; Serial-No: 149,962. r

My invention relates to the manufactureof pneumatic tire-casings andmore part cularly to the preparation of the material which is used in constructing the carcass of such cas- 1 5 ings. V This material may be square woven'or cord fabric and while my invention is partic ularly useful in the manufacture ofcord tires and is illustrated in connection therewith, my method and device is not limited thereto and 1 0 the term .fabric" as hereafter used in the specification and claims is intended to in clude all types ofcarcassmaterial; t

- It is the practice 1 ing methods to first form thecarcass material I into two-ply strips of suitable width and having the strain resisting elements of the respective plies laying atan angle to each other. It is among the objects; of my invention to provide a method of forming'thecarcass material into a two-ply strip or strips-ina more,

expeditious manner andto secure a moreuniform product, and to-provide-a device for carrying out'the method. ,Afurther object is to provide such two ply carcass material in long lengths which maybe later separated if desired intolengths to suit, various-sizes of tires and various methods of building. A further object is to form stripsin'which the plies are offset or stepped-off fromeaclrother.

Other and further objectswill be apparent from the followlng specification and claims;

In the accompanying drawings which i1,-

lustrate one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 1-is a side elevation ofmy machine,

Figure s Figure tion,

Figure 3 is la rear end view partly in secdriving connections,-

Figure 5 1s aperspective' view of an alter rangement ofthe knives to produce a different t e of step-off, x q a yp 12.showan alternative arf-ollowing var ous build 2 isaplan-view of the machine,

4 is a fragmentary elevation, the side opposite to that of Figure 1 showing the r'angement of the cablesto produce a wide i step-off, Figure ment for producing a pluralityof stripshav; ngn row s epf and s a 1 v a Figure 1? 1S aview s i ilar to that of Fig- 13 shows an alternative arrange; y

ure, 13, but showIingan arrangement to secure 1 "Referring tothe drawingsl an d Q-designate endless, cables supported, as-best shown in Figures '1 and13,inspaced parallel planes by i t driven-rolls 3,14; and 5and idle pulleys 6 and7.

Pulleys-6 are mounted in slotted bearingsS r if providedwith adjusting screwsfigadapted to tighten the cables, andsaid bearingsfar'e securedto base slO of the machine onj key-ways 11 to providetransverse adjustmentfor a purpose later described; Pulleys 17 are adjust; ably secured; to rotatable ;.st1 b; Shafts 12 mounted in a ,supportl securedgto 'basezS.

While 'lhave' shown the cables as round in cross section they may ifpreferredtaketheform of a flatribbon", or any other suitable shape. w

in bearings formed in, a standard 20, 1 rising Driven rolls 3, 4and 5Iare mountedrev from base 8, and said shafts are provided at the rear'of the standard with 'intermeshing gears 21, 22 and23 respectively, s Shaft llT in v addition carries a bevel gear 24 meshing with a bevel gear 25 secured to the upperend ofva vertical shaft ZSKSGeFigure Ago-provided at [its lower end with a bevel gear 27 1neshjing with bevel gear 28 on; shaft 2%),the latter opf eratively connected to a motor 30-through-any conventional, or suitable type-of reduction gearingYdiagrammatically iiidicated 'at 31 As will be evidentrolls 3, i'and 5Yare thus driven inthe direction of the arrows Fig ure Land through themth'eca'bles 1 and 2.

In Figure 51 have illustrated an arrangement 'in which cables l and 2 are replacedby'a single cable 32 crossed at 3380138130 present twoparjallel runs S L and 35 traveling in the same direction. LThis arrangementfhasthe advantage that asingle-tightening means may be used 'tolkeep the cable taut and assures I that theruns travel at the same speed,

has the disadvantage that it is more difficult to vary the spacing of the runs.

The upper edge of support 13 is provided wvith a groove 38 adapted to receive spacer on rollers 51, j ournaled in suitable bearings I so secured to base 10', and running in track formed in the under side of the table. Table 5O- i s adapted to carry a supply of fabric from which the carcass material is formed and in the embodiment shown I provide for this pur pose a pairof inclined spindles and 56 preferably connected together "by a belt 57 and adapted to receive spools 58 and 59' which are held on the spindles by wing nuts 60 and 61. Spool 58carries a roll of fabric wound in a suitable liner, the liner and fabricbeing drawn from spool 58 about spool 59, upon which the liner is wound, while the fabric 60 passes to the cables as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Table 50 'is rotated in'the direction of the arrow by means-of a ring 'ge'ar'fil formed on the outer circumference of table 50 and meshing with a gear 62 (see Figure which in turn meshes with a gear 63 secured to verticalshaft 26 previously described.

As will be evident when power is applied to advance the cables 1 and 2 and rotate table 50 the fabric will be drawn from the spools and wrapped spirally about the cables,,to form a flat tube of fabric.

'As the cables advance the tube of fabric is carried between freely rotatable presser rolls 65 and 66 supported by standard 20 and thence over roll 5, under roll l and over roll 3. As itpasses over r0115 the fabric is preferably marked with a centering line, as by a crayon or other marking means 69suppo'rted from standard 20, such centering line being useful in later operations when the fabric is fo'rmedinto a tire carcass on the tire buildingmaohine. As the web of fabric passes beneath'roll4 it is engaged, adjacent the cables, by stitchers 70 and 'Zl (see Figure 6) suitably supported from a standard 20, which stitchers assure the adhesion of the fabric plies adjacent the cables. As the fabricadvances around roll the outer ply is cut closeito, or

againsa the cable 2 by a suitable knife 73 and as it'travels over the roll 3 the opposite ply is'cut as indicated in Figure 7 by a similar knife The fabric is nowpulled from the cables, as indicated in Figure 1, as atWo-ply and 81 are-on the same face of the web as strip of carcass material having the strain resisting elements of the respective plies crossing at an angle to each other and having theedges of the plies stepped-off as indicated at 7 5 and 7 6 in Figure 8. The two-ply strip after leaving the machine may be torn into lengths suitable for the tire building machines and to avoid the necessity of measuring each length as it is torn I provide means for applying a mark adjacent one edge of the strip to indicate the point at which tl1e t'ear is to be made, i Any suitable means may be employed for this purpose, that shown comprising wheel '17- of suitable diameter provided with an offset finger 78. Wheel 77 is driven by engagement with roll 3 adjacent cable 2, and finger 78 as it rotates engages the fabric strip and ink supply roll 79.

It is sometimes desirable to have both stepoifs on'one face of'the strip in which case I position the cutting k'ni'ves 73 and 74 so as to operate on the same side of the fabric-tube, as indicated in Figure 9, with the result that when pulled from the cables the step-offs 80 shown in Figure 10.

As will be understood, in the arrangements just described the width of stepoff is limited by the diameter of the cable and where a wider step-01f is desired I supply additional cables adjacent cables 1 and 2 as indicated inFigure 11,in whichca'se, by cutting adjacent cable 1, a wide step-off 86 is obtained, the width being eter'minedby the spacing of the cables 85 and 1.

In the embodiment shown a single strip of carcass material is formed, but by supplying centervcables 88 as shown in Fig res '13, and 14 a pluralityof strips may be formed, Fig- 111-913 illustrating the arrangement for producing-a'n'arro'w step-off and Figure 14 the arrangement for producing wide step-01f. \Vhere the fabric is out between cables I prefer to use rotary cutters as indicated at 89'and such cutters'may of course be substituted for the knives shown in the other figures. 7

It will be evidentthat by my method and machine I produce one or more strips of complete two-ply carcass material centrally 1 15 marked and'marked into lengths suitable for thetire building operations, as a continuous operation. 7

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising spaced parallel'c'ables, means to advance the cables in unison, means adapted to wlnd a strip of fabric about thecables, as the latter are advanced, to form a two-ply web of fabric with cables enclosed at the edges thereof and means adaptedto' cut one ply of p the fabric longitudinally adjacent th e cables and so positioned as to permit removal of the fabric from the cables as-two ply c'arc'ass material having stepped-off edges.

A two-ply V edges.

adapted to cut one ply 2. A device of the character described comprising spaced parallel cables, meansto adjacent the cables and so positioned as toper init removal of the'fabric from the cablesas carcass material having stepped-oft 3. A device of the character described comprising spaced parallel cables, means to advancethe cables in unison, means adapted to wind a'strip of fabric about the cables, as

a the latter are advanced, a pair of rolls between which the cablesand fabric pass adapted to press the overlying fabric plies together, supporting rolls over Which the assembled cables'and fabricpass and means operative as the assembly passes said rolls to cut one ply of the fabric longitudinally adjacent the cables and so positioned. as topermit removal of the fabric from the cables as tWo-ply carcassmaterial having stepped-off edges.

4. A device of the character describedcomprising spaced parallel cables, means to ad vance the cables in'unison, means adapted to wind a strip of fabric aboutrthecables, as'the' latter are advanced to form a two-ply Web of fabric with cables enclosedat the edges thereof, supporting rolls over Which the assembled cables andffabric passes'and means relation to said rolls ofthe fabric longitudinally adjacent the cables and so positioned positioned in operative as to permitremoval of the fabric from the "cables as two-ply carcass material having steppedbfi edges.

I 5. A device of the character des'cribed commeans to ad-' f vance the cables in unison, means adapted to' prising spaced. parallel cables,

of fabric with cables enclosed at the edges thereof, supporting rolls over which the as sociated therewith adapted to stitch the plies together-j adjacent the cables and means to latter. are advanced, to form a two-ply Web 'sembled cables and fabric pass, stitchers a s- 70 cut the fabric longitudinally adjacent the cables to permit removal of the fabric from the cables as two-ply carcass material. I

7. "A device of the character described comprising spacedparallel cables, means to advance the cables in unison, means adaptedto wind a strip of fabric about the cables, as the latterlare advanced, to form a tWo-ply Web OffabIlO'Wlth cables enclosed at the-edges thereof, rolls between which the cables and fabric pass adapted to press the overlying fabric plies together, supporting rolls over i Which'tlie' assembled cables and fabric pass, 1 stitchers operative as the assembly passes over the supportingrolls to stitch the plies together adjacent the cables and means to cut the fabric adjacent the cables to permit removal of the fabric" from the cables as two- P y C rcass'material. A Y

8. That method'of forming two ply carcass materialwhich comprises Wrapping rubof the fabric at a point adjacent the cables berized fabric spirally about spaced'cables to form a fiat twosply Web, and cutting one ply and in such relation thereto as to produce a "predetermined. Width of step-off attheedgejs of the two-ply strip'of carcass material upon I removal oft-he latter from the cables. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the above specification.

;. GEORGE F. YWIKLE.

wind a strip of fabric about the cables, as the latter are advanced, to of fabric with cables enclosed atthe edges thereof, a supporting roll adapted to engage I one face of the fabric eb, cutting means associated With said roll adapted to cut the form a two-ply Web outer ply of fabric longitudinally adjacent one edge of the web, a

second supporting roll adapted to engage the opposite face of the Web and cutting means associated with said.

second supporting roll adapted to cut the then outer ply of cent the other edge of the Web to permit removal of the fabric from the cables as astrip of two-ply carcass material having opposite step-offs at the edges of-the strip.

6. A device of the character described comprising spaced parallel cables, means to advance the cables in unison, means' adapted to wind a strip of fabric about the cables,'as the fabric longitudinally adj a-. I 

